Finale
by Neuropsych
Summary: My take on the season finale  season 3 that is
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note: I wasn't going to write anything until I finished the Stargate story I'm stuck on right now, but after watching the finale of Castle last night, like many of you, I just can't leave it at where they stopped it. My own has a twist, though, and I'm certain I won't be the only one who plays with it. This is probably just a one shot thing, but we'll see if anyone likes it and wants me to take it further._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Castle, or the characters, I just play with them. And I'm not making any money off this story!_

OOOOOOOOOOO

"_Kate!"_

Distracted by Castle's cry, Beckett turned, just in time to see him lunging at her. Before she could ask him what the hell he was doing, or realize that he suddenly looked terrified, she heard a crack that sounded impossibly like a gunshot – and a high-powered one at that, her mind added automatically. She felt an impact and was dragged to the ground, her breath forced out by the weight of Castle's body on her own.

"Castle…"

She was confused, having trouble understanding what had happened, and she met his gaze with her own.

"Kate…"

His voice was a whisper, and his body heavy on hers. Immediately she realized there was something horribly wrong, because he didn't grin at her with that impudent 'look what I just did' smile, and he didn't move when he had to know that he was holding her pinned painfully to the ground. She was aware of a lot of shouting and running around her, but she only had eyes on Castle just then.

"Castle?"

She wriggled under him, and he winced but made an effort to move. Beckett looked down at her pristine white dress gloves and found the one that he'd had pinned between them was smeared crimson.

"Oh, God…"

She wriggled harder, sliding out from under him and rolling him onto his back. He groaned softly, but managed to meet her concerned and scared eyes.

"Ow…"

"Oh, no… no, no, no…"

She turned to look around, hoping a doctor might magically appear beside her. There were black-clad people sprawled on the ground everywhere, held down by police officers who didn't have weapons but were scanning the area for threats while those few with radios were yelling orders to officers who were scrambling to obey them. Abruptly she felt herself pushed down again, this time onto Castle – who gasped. She turned and saw that Ryan had managed to get to them. He was looking around like all of them were, but he glanced over at her.

"Stay down!"

"Castle's hurt."

The other detective swore, taking in the pale skin and the blood instantly. He nodded, though, pulling himself together quickly as he'd been trained to do.

"Stay with him, and stay _down_. I'll get a doctor."

She didn't need to be told twice. He moved away, staying low, and she turned back to Castle, grabbing his hand almost desperately.

"Stay with me," she told him.

He nodded, but it was clear he was in trouble, because his eyes were getting that glazed look that she knew only too well. She was losing him.

"Castle," she whispered, trying to keep her voice down and praying that someone had the sense to hold Alexis down so she wouldn't come running over and see her dad like this – or worse, get shot by some stray bullet should whoever took the first shot decide to make another try. "Stay with me."

"Kate…"

It seemed like it was all he could say, and even that was a gasp. She pressed her free hand against the bloodiest spot on his shirt trying to stop the life from flowing out of him. Beckett felt her eyes burning with sudden tears and she had no way to wipe them away.

"Help's coming." She told him, pleasding. "Stay with me. Don't leave me, Castle…"

He gasped again, obviously trying to catch his breath against the pain. She thought his grip on her hand might have tightened just a little, and she squeezed it as hard as he could.

"Rick… please…"

She never called him that, and even in his pain induced haze his expressive eyes cleared just a little at the sound of his name. She brought his hand to hers and kissed it, desperate to keep him with her now that she seemed to have his attention.

"What were you _thinking_…?" she asked him, brokenly, despite trying to remain calm. "What-"

"I love you…"

It was so soft that if she hadn't been so close she never would have heard it. He was watching her, his eyes dull with pain and shock.

Beckett sniffed, holding the hand even tighter and using her sleeve to wipe her eyes.

"Stay with me, Rick… Don't give up… Help's coming."

In the distance she could hear the sirens. She didn't look up though. Her eyes were locked on his, as if only by holding his gaze could she keep him with her.

His eyes closed, but the hand on his chest could feel the pulse beneath his shirt.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's note: Okay, so it seems that you're interested in another chapter or two and I'm willing. Obviously I'll have to take my own license on who the shooter is and all that – provided we get into that part of the story – but at least this way you won't have to wait until I know 'who dun it 'to get the story finished._

OOOOOOOOOOO

Alexis had heard the loud bang and had been flung to the ground painfully by one of the police officers that had been standing by her. He held her down as people around her were shouting orders and questions. She struggled to see what was happening, and saw that her grandmother was being held down beside her by another officer, but couldn't see her face to ask her what was going on. Whatever it was, it was serious. She turned toward her dad, automatically looking for him for reassurance, but she couldn't see him through the people who were now scrambling around, keeping low and looking in every direction. She saw Detective Ryan hurry toward where Detective Beckett had been standing, and saw her crouched on the ground, holding her dad down.

Ryan said something to Beckett, who shook her head and looked around. In that glance, she saw that Beckett looked scared. Alexis had never seen Beckett scared before and she tried to see what was going on, but all she could see was her dad lying on the ground and Beckett leaning back over him, talking to him. Then she realized that there was something red smearing Beckett's hand and her shock-frozen mind suddenly realized what she was seeing.

"_Daddy!"_

She struggled against the weight holding her down and saw Beckett turn toward her. The police officer that was holding her down tightened his grip, keeping her flat despite her best efforts to get up.

"Stay down, honey," he told her. In the distance she could hear a siren – more than one.

"Daddy!"

The girl was no match for the man holding her down – especially since he had figured out what had happened as well, and now he wasn't just keeping her down to keep her safe. He was keeping her from seeing something that she might be better off not seeing. She didn't understand that, though, she just continued to struggle against him until suddenly Esposito was there, too, his hand on her shoulder just as firm as the other police officer's, but his eyes expressive – as if he understood her fear. Which, of course, he did.

"Alexis, you _need_ to stay down until we clear the area."

She stopped struggling.

"But dad's-"

"I know. And you're not going to be doing him any good if _you_ get hurt, too. You need to be strong right now, okay?"

He was projecting a calm that she wasn't immune to, despite her fear, and she nodded.

"Good girl. Take care of your grandma, okay?"

He didn't wait for a reply. He scrambled back to his feet and headed for Beckett while Alexis turned to look at her grandmother again, who had managed to get turned around and was now looking at her, just as dazed by the sudden turn of events.

OOOOOOOOOOO

"Move Kate."

Beckett found herself pushed to the side by Lanie, who immediately tore open Castle's jacket and then his short, exposing a bloody mess. Still grasping his hand in hers, Kate tried to see just how bad it was, but all she could see was a lot of blood.

"Oh _God_…"

"Relax, girl, I'm working on it…"

The doctor – not _that_ kind of doctor but still far more versed in saving lives than Beckett was – used her shawl to wipe away enough blood to see where the wound was.

"Please, Lanie…"

She watched as her friend found the bleeding and pressed the cloth against it.

"Hold that, Kate."

Beckett held the compress tight, her eyes never leaving Castle's face, but Lanie was working quickly, turning Castle a little to see if there was an exit wound, and then checking his vitals as well as she could.

"How is he?" Esposito asked, appearing out of nowhere beside them.

"He's losing a lot of blood, but I don't see an exit wound. Tell me there's an ambulance on the way…"

Esposito nodded.

"We're bringing in a helicopter to transport him. The ambulance will take him to the clearing."

"Good." Lanie looked at Beckett, who was white as a sheet. "Are you hit?"

She shook her head.

"No."

"You're sure?" Esposito asked.

"Yeah. I-"

They were interrupted by a groan from Castle, and everyone turned their attention to the writer.

"Stay still, Castle," Lanie told him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "You've been shot. We're going to get you to help."

He looked up at her, and then over at Beckett, but his eyes were glazed with pain and shock.

"You're going to be fine."

The fear was still in her expression and even dazed he saw it. Her hand squeezed his and he looked at it, dumbly, and then back at her.

"Alexis? My mother?"

"They're fine," Esposito told him. "An ambulance is on the way."

"Stay with us, Castle," Lanie said.

"How bad…?"

"You'll be fine," Kate said, immediately. "Just hold on-"

The siren had been turned off the ambulance and the vehicle had arrived without them realizing it. While Kate was reassuring him, a small army of medics suddenly swarmed them, all of them moving in on Castle with equipment that Lanie had lacked. He was hooked to an IV in only a moment, and Beckett and the others were moved unceremoniously to the side to make room for the rest of the medics. She lost her grip on his hand, and he noticed right away.

"Kate…"

Before she could answer, another voice broke in.

"_Daddy!"_

Alexis had finally been allowed to her feet and she'd broken the grip of the officer that was keeping her away from her father. Now she was standing between Beckett and Esposito, looking uncertainly at the crowd around the fallen form on the ground.

One of the medics looked up at the shout, and caught Esposito's gaze. Between the two of them a question was silently asked, and with an almost imperceptible shake of his head the medic answered. They'd do what they could for Castle, but this wasn't something that a young girl should see. In response, Esposito wrapped his arms around Alexis, holding her away from the chaos.

"They're taking care of him, Alexis," he told her. "We need to stay out of the way."

"But-"

"What hospital?" Esposito asked as a backboard was produced and Castle was carefully put on it and strapped to a gurney for transport.

"Mount Sinai."

They watched as the medics raised the gurney and locked it into place, and through a break in the wall of people they heard a whisper.

"Alexis…"

Alexis looked desperately over at Beckett, who tried to smile reassuringly and failed.

"Stay here."

She moved into the clear space beside him and her hand found his. He was still pale and dazed, and there seemed to be even more blood than before, but he recognized her – which was a good sign, she supposed.

"Alexis?"

His voice was so soft she had to lean over to hear him.

"She shouldn't see this…"

Castle couldn't summon the energy to argue. If he'd been less out of it he'd have been the first to agree, though, and she knew it.

"She's okay?"

"I promise you."

He nodded, and closed his eyes, his energy spent and the most important question answered.

"We need to go," one of the medics said, taking his hand from hers and strapping the arm down to keep him from moving it again.

Beckett nodded, and turned to Alexis and the others.

"I'll go with him."

Martha nodded, her own worry very real in her expression. She moved to take Alexis from Esposito.

"We'll meet you at the hospital."

The medic started to protest, but Kate turned back to him.

"I'm going."

There was no denying her, and it was plain in her very stance and expression.

"Fine. Let's go."


	3. Chapter 3

The ride from the cemetery to the hospital was a blur. The ambulance crew had relinquished Castle to the crew of the medi-copter and Beckett had been forced to let go of his hand once they transferred him to the helicopter in deference of the fact that there simply wasn't any way that there was room for her and the doctors. She ended up in the front with the pilot, who had the sense to not argue with her in the state of mind she was in. Normally it would have been an absolute refusal, but Beckett was clearly a cop, and equally clearly distraught, and the pilot decided that if he couldn't trust a NY cop in his cockpit with him, then there really wasn't anyone he _could_ trust. She'd watched over her shoulder at the cabin of the helicopter the entire ride, her worried gaze never leaving the still form of the writer.

They landed on the roof of the hospital and there was a different group of doctors ready to take over. The information had been relayed from the helicopter while they were in route, so it was a smooth transition from one set of doctors to the other. Beckett was barely out of the helicopter by the time Castle had been rushed through the doors and out of sight into the hospital. She handed the helmet she'd been forced to wear over to one of the flight crew, but her attention was on the door he'd vanished behind. The man grabbed her arm before she could leave, though, and she turned to him, angry at being stopped when she needed to see how he was doing.

"He's lost a lot of blood, but he made it here," the crewman told her, yelling to be heard over the rotors of the chopper. "These guys are the best."

Later she would appreciate the way he tried to reassure her. Just then, however, all she could think of was getting to Castle. She nodded, and headed for the same door the others had used. They wouldn't let her into the operating room, she knew, but she'd be close by the moment anyone had anything to report. One of the ER staff was waiting for her, and noting that the dress uniform she was wearing was smeared with dirt and blood, and that her cheek was also smeared with a dried crimson stain, he handed her a change of clothing – surgical scrubs that were far from new – and pointed her toward a small bathroom where she could change and get cleaned up a little. From there, he took her to a small private waiting room and told her that as soon as someone had any information they would come let her know.

Alone, scared and mentally and physically exhausted, Beckett slumped into one of the leather chairs, only to lurch to her feet a moment later, unable to hold still. She paced the length of the room, stopped at the door and looked out the small window, then resumed pacing once more until she had made her way back to the door again. She unconsciously made a pattern of it; pace the room, check the door, then pace the room again. After what seemed an eternity, but was only ten minutes or so from when she'd been shown into the room, the door opened and she was suddenly in the middle of a crowd of people who were just as worried as she was.

"Detective?"

Martha was as pale as Kate had ever seen her, and Alexis beside her looked at least as scared as she felt. Beckett was relieved she'd had the chance to change. The last thing Alexis needed was to see her dad's blood all over her. Esposito had obviously driven the two over, and Lanie was right there with him, but Ryan wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"They have him in surgery," she told them, looking at Alexis and Martha, but answering the question before anyone could ask. "I haven't heard anything…"

She must have looked worse than she thought, because Martha made a soft noise of distress and engulfed her in a hug. Beckett wrapped her arms around the older woman, taking the support she was offering and wishing that she had better news for her. Castle was _her_ son, after all, and how awful it had to be, watching him shot right in front of her. Another pair of arms came around her as Alexis joined the hug, and it was all she could do to keep from breaking down right then and there.

"He's strong…" Martha murmured, both to her and to Alexis. "He'll come through this no problem. You'll see…"

Kate nodded, pulling away before she lost control.

"Yeah. He will."

Esposito cleared his throat, getting Beckett's attention in as unobtrusive a way as he could. She looked over at him.

"What do you have?"

"So far not much. Whoever it was, they didn't have a chance to police their brass, so we might get some ballistics to test – and someone said they thought they saw a white SUV leaving the scene in all the chaos. Ryan's there, still. He'll let us know as soon as he has anything…"

Kate nodded, turning to Alexis, who was still in her grandmother's arms.

"It might be a while…"

"We'll just get comfortable then," Martha said, guiding Alexis over to one of the sofas that lined the wall and sitting down. Lanie went over and sat down as well, sandwiching Alexis between the two of them, while Beckett went to stand by the door once more, joined by Esposito.

"No ID yet?"

He shook his head.

"You'll know as soon as I do. I promise."

"I know."

Esposito hesitated, looking over at the group on the sofa and then at Beckett. This time when he spoke, it was almost a whisper.

"How did it look? Did they say?"

She shrugged.

"He was out the entire way, but he was alive when they got him through the door."

"That's something, then."

"Yeah." She ran her fingers through her hair, torn between the need to be where she was and the desire to be on the evidence. It wasn't a choice, though. This was where she had to be – and she wasn't the only one. "Call Ryan and let him know that if he needs to be here to leave the canvassing to the others and come in."

"I told him that. He said he'd do what he could before he comes in." he heisted again, this time his gaze was directed at her. "You okay?"

She shook her head.

"This is my fault. He-"

Esposito held his hand up to stop her, opened the door and pulled her through it, shutting it firmly behind him before he turned back to her.

"_You_ didn't pull him in front of you," he reminded her. "Don't start blaming yourself for this."

"But-"

"I mean it, Beckett." His eyes were locked with hers, holding her gaze. "You know how Castle is – "

"How he feels about me…" she interrupted. "God, I didn't… I was so…" she couldn't continue as the tears that she didn't dare show in front of Alexis broke through, and Esposito caught her as she crumbled. He held her tightly, well aware that as far as weeks went, this had been one of the worst she'd ever had, and Beckett cried into his shoulder as quietly as she could, to keep the people in the waiting room from hearing her.

"We'll find this guy, Beckett," Esposito promised her after a long moment of mutual support. "He'll pay…"

Bad enough that Castle had been shot, but they still had to bear in mind that he hadn't been the intended target; Beckett had. Which meant there was still that potential for danger, and anyone crazy enough to try for her in a huge crowd of cops was probably willing to make a go at it anywhere – assuming he wasn't on the run. Which they wouldn't assume.

She nodded into his shoulder, and pulled away, wiping her eyes.

"Thanks…"

He gave her a sad smile and nodded.

"You want some coffee?"

"Yeah."

"I'll get some."

He turned and headed down the hall, and Beckett made sure her eyes were dry before she reached for the door again.


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's note: Well, it's not 6PM here, but if the world _does_ end, I hope you guys get a chance to read this first!_

OOOOOOOOO

The waiting room filled up quickly. The majority of those waiting were still dressed in the clothing they'd been wearing at the funeral, and most were police officers. Castle was popular with them, after all – and not only because of the shiny coffee machine he'd brought into the precinct. Alexis was in the middle of a crowd of support, although she wasn't in any shape to really realize it. She was frightened by the lack of information they had about her dad's condition, even though Martha tried to explain that the doctors wouldn't want to tell them anything until they were certain – which would mean until they were done in surgery and had a better idea of what they were dealing with. Of course, Alexis knew her grandmother well enough to know that she was frightened, too, so Martha wasn't as convincing as she was trying to be.

Beckett didn't have room to pace like she'd have wanted to. Instead, she stood by the door with an untouched cup of bad coffee in her hand, watching everyone who came and went, waiting for the same information everyone else was. The door opened, causing everyone to look up, but instead of a doctor it was Ryan, still wearing his dress uniform like everyone else. Everyone turned to look at him, but he only had eyes for Beckett.

"Any word?"

She shook her head just as they were joined by Esposito.

"Not yet. What do you have?"

"They're still canvassing, but there's every indication it was a high powered rifle, probably with a scope. The shooter left a large caliber shell and some impressions in the grass where he was waiting. Crime Scene guys are getting it all gathered and will let us know as soon as they have anything."

"Thanks." Beckett looked at her watch. "It's been too long…" she said softly.

"That's probably a good sign," Ryan told her. He didn't go any further into the room, aware that there wouldn't be any place for him to sit and deciding that he might as well stand someplace where he would be able to hear right away if there was anything to know.

"Maybe…"

The door opened again, and they all looked up again. The newcomer wasn't anyone Beckett knew, and was far too young to be a doctor. The young man was dressed in jeans and a green polo, and looked around uncomfortably when he saw everyone looked at him.

"Ashley…" Alexis had seen him come in and was on her feet in an instant, surprised. She crossed the room and hugged him, tightly, and he hugged her back. "What are you doing here?"

Her boyfriend, Beckett realized, belatedly, and she knew that Ryan and Esposito had deducted the same thing, because they were now watching the boy with not only interest but also a little speculation and she wondered how many of the officers in the room were thinking of doing a background check on Ashley just to make sure that he was good enough for Alexis.

Ashley pulled back, but kept her hand in his. Beckett, who was very good at reading people, had no trouble seeing that he wasn't certain that she wanted him there.

"Your grandmother called me and told me what happened." He looked at Martha, who gave him a soft smile of welcome. "I… I thought I should come down."

She hugged him again, all the answer he needed, but before they could say anything else, the door opened again, and this time it _was_ a doctor. An older man with a stethoscope over his neck and scrubs that were clean and pressed, making Beckett think he'd probably just changed into them. He looked tired, but satisfied, and everyone who wasn't already standing, stood as soon as they realized who he probably was.

Martha pushed her way to the door, coming to stand beside Alexis and Beckett.

"Mrs. Rodgers?"

She nodded.

"I'm Doctor Kupp. Your son's surgeon."

"How is he?"

The doctor hesitated, looking at the group of people, and Martha waved her hand, realizing that he wasn't certain if she wanted everyone to hear what was supposed to be confidential. He decided that it didn't matter to her; that she didn't want to wait for news, and as scared as she looked he didn't want to make her wait.

"The bullet hit him just at the bottom of his ribcage," he gestured to a spot on his own torso, to the left of center. "It looks like he might have been moving at the time, because of the way the bottom-most rib caught the bullet and deflected it. The slug ended up taking a chunk of his liver and we had to remove some small intestine that had been damaged, but it could have been a lot worse."

"Is he going to be all right?" Martha asked.

"We're putting him in recovery now, and we'll keep an eye on him for a while, but yes, it looks like he should make a full recovery."

There was a murmur of relief behind them and Alexis hugged Ashley hard, and then her grandmother.

"Can we see him?" Martha asked, her arm still around her granddaughter.

"Not all of you. Not all at once."

"Martha and Alexis," Beckett told the doctor, indicating the two. "The rest of us can wait."

Martha turned toward her.

"You should-"

"It can wait, Martha," Beckett interrupted with a slight smile. "You take Alexis."

Martha nodded, and the doctor gestured for the two to precede him out the still open door, leaving the rest of them still standing there in the room, but with far less tension in the room. The cops and others in the room were all talking at once, slapping backs and shaking hands as if they were the ones who had pulled Castle through. Feeling a relief like none she could ever remember, Beckett slumped back against the wall, watching as Ryan and Esposito traded handshakes and then a hug, and then turned on her and swept her into their arms as well.

Only then did the two detectives turn to look at Ashley, who had been watching the people around him celebrate.

"So…" Esposito said, gaining the boy's attention with that one word. "_You're_ Alexis' boyfriend, huh?"

The uncertain look returned as Ashley found himself suddenly in the sights of two of the best interrogators in the city.

OOOOOOOOOO

"Now, he's _not_ going to be awake yet," Kupp told Martha and Alexis. "We have him on a respirator for now, but there is no sign of any damage to his lungs, so as soon as he starts to come around we'll pull the tube and make sure he can breathe on his own."

"But he's okay…?" Alexis asked, again.

"Yes." The doctor was quick to reassure as they walked the corridor. "But I don't want you being afraid of what you see when we get there."

"We'll be fine, doctor," Martha assured him, her hand tightening on Alexis' hand.

The girl nodded her agreement, and the doctor ushered them both into the recovery room. Neither needed him to tell them which bed held Castle, and Alexis broke free of her grandmother's hand and hurried over to his bedside, mindful of the wires and instruments all around the bed that were monitoring her father's condition.

Martha came up beside her and watched as Alexis reached her hand out to touch his. He didn't respond to the touch, but she really hadn't expected him to. It was enough that she could touch him, and see the flutter of his heartbeat in his neck, as well as hear that same beat echoed in the monitor that was next to where she was standing.

"Oh, honey…"

Whether the woman was speaking to her granddaughter or her son wasn't certain, and really didn't matter. They watched him sleep for a few moments before Kupp spoke up.

"We'll need to let him rest…" he told them, gently. "When we get him in a room, it'll be easier for you to visit."

Martha nodded, leaned over and brushed her son's hair away from his forehead, and then kissed him tenderly in the spot she'd cleared.

"We'll be back soon," she promised him.

Alexis squeezed his hand, but was afraid to lean over him and maybe hurt him, so she settled for kissing his hand before she allowed herself to be led away.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's note: okay. So the real question is… do I try to solve this case? I have been toying with the idea, working on my own theories as to who it was, who the Big Man is, what Montgomery sent out in the mail and all that, and it would be fun to do it, knowing even as I write that it probably is someone we've never heard of and I'll be completely off when the secret is finally revealed next season. Are you all interested in that, though, or just this part of the story? Let me know…_

OOOOOOOOOO

Beckett was out in the hall when Martha and Alexis returned. The room was clearing out, with many of the cops heading home to change now that the vigil was over. They would eventually want to see him, but, being cops, they were well aware how hospital emergency rooms worked and knew that they wouldn't be having any chance to see him that day and most likely the next. Most were going to head home and change and spend time with their families. Nothing like a shooting to remind you how much you love your kids and spouse, after all.

Beckett watched while a couple of them stopped Martha to see how Castle looked, and Alexis walked over to her, a relieved smile on her face.

"He was asleep…"

Kate nodded.

"I figured he would be."

"You should go see him, now. He'd like that."

Beckett nodded, again, and looked down at her hands, unable to meet Alexis' gaze just then. It could have been so much worse, and if it _had_ been, then it would have been all her fault.

"I will. I'm going to let Ryan and Esposito have a chance, first."

Alexis started to say something but Martha joined them, putting her arm around her granddaughter when she walked over. She looked relieved, and while she was still concerned, she was no longer frightened, Kate saw.

"You're turn."

"She's going to wait," Alexis told her.

"Nonsense," Martha said. "He's not going anywhere right now, and you need a chance to see him for yourself." She made a shooing motion, gesturing Beckett back the direction they'd just arrived from.

"But-"

"Oh, go on. You should check and see for yourself that he's okay."

Kate hesitated, but short of causing a scene she – which she had no intention of doing, she finally just nodded, and headed down the hall.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

There weren't any other people in the room when Beckett opened the door. She peeked in to be sure before she slipped in and closed the door behind her. Walking over to the bed, she automatically looked at the monitor that was keeping track of Castle's vitals. She knew enough about hospitals to know what was within the norm, and she didn't see anything out of the ordinary with his. He was covered warmly, and even hooked up to all the equipment they had monitoring him, he still looked like he was simply sleeping. Far more peaceful than she felt when she looked at him.

She'd come so close to losing him. A lucky shot that could have just as easily gone very wrong and hit something far more vital. Beckett felt her eyes sting, and a wave of exhaustion that was far more emotional than physical – although it seemed like it had been forever since she'd slept more than an hour or two at a time. She pushed that thought aside and stood by the side of his bed, watching him as he slept, and without realizing it, she reached for his hand, as if to reassure herself that he really was there and was safe.

He'd told her to back off. He'd practically begged her, telling her that he was sure something bad was going to happen. And she hadn't. Montgomery was dead because she had pressed for the truth – and God, that truth had hurt her – and now Castle had been shot as well. Putting himself between her and a bullet that was only meant for her. The expression on his face. The pain in his eyes. And the love she'd seen there when he told her why he did it.

A strangled sob escaped her before she could choke it down, and she tightened the grip she had on his hand, standing quietly until she'd managed to gain back enough control to swallow the lump in her throat.

"I'm sorry, Castle…" she whispered, brokenly. "I should have listened to you."

Maybe they couldn't win this one, after all. Who would she risk next? Esposito? Ryan? They'd follow her if she asked them to. Right to their deaths just like Castle almost had.

"This isn't your fault."

Startled, Kate turned toward the door. She hadn't noticed that Martha had joined her in the room, and had no idea how long she'd been standing there next to the door, watching. She wiped her eyes, quickly, and shook her head.

"He wasn't the target, Martha. I was."

The older woman nodded.

"I know. He must have been trying to push you out of the way?"

She hadn't really had the best view of things, after all, and wanted to understand what had happened.

"Yes. If I'd have listened to him-"

"You're not the one who shot him, Kiddo," Martha told her, walking over, and keeping her voice down – as if a loud conversation was all it would take to wake him. "This wasn't your fault, it was the person with the gun. He chose to shoot at you, and Richard made the decision to move. You had no say in either."

"But-"

"Kate." Martha was as serious as Beckett had ever seen her. "We don't blame you for this, and you shouldn't blame yourself. If you want to make things better, then figure out who was holding the gun."

If it was only so easy! That wasn't a conversation she wanted to have with Martha, though. None of this was. Instead, she just nodded.

"I'll do that."

Looking down at her son, Martha nodded as well.

"I'm going to have to go and bring some things for him – and give Alexis a chance to be away from here for a while. Will you stay with him, and call me if anything changes or if he wakes up?"

"Yes."

She'd planned to stay anyway.

"Good." Martha turned and headed for the door, and knowing that the doctors – or nurses – would be along any moment to shoo her out of the room, Beckett followed her. "I'm going to try and keep Alexis away until he's awake and able to reassure her himself. It can't be good for her to sit around a gloomy hospital all day."

"Ashley could probably help you with that," Kate replied with a sly smile. One that Martha echoed as they walked out the door and into the hallway.

"Which is one of the reasons that I called him down here. Aside from the fact that I knew she'd need someone her age to lean on, too."

"Judging by the way Esposito and Ryan were interrogating him earlier, you might want to give him a chance to be away from here for a while, too."

"It's no worse than what Richard has done to him, I assure you."

She started telling Beckett the story of Ashley's first visit to the house, and the way Castle had turned an antique gun on him, inadvertently. It wasn't a story that he'd told her, but it was definitely something Kate could see happening. As a consequence, both women were smiling when they returned to the waiting room, which made Alexis – who was still more than a little scared for her dad – feel better. If they weren't afraid, she knew that she didn't have to be, either. At least, not so badly that when her grandmother suggested they leave for a while and go home and take a break, she didn't argue with her.

Especially when Beckett promised her that she'd stay close by and call if anything happened.


	6. Chapter 6

_He was floating in a sea of darkness. It was nice, at first, because everything was calm and quiet and somewhere inside him he knew that the peace here wasn't real, but that as long as he was where he was, he wasn't going to have to face whatever it was that his mind didn't want to think of. Of course, it was the nature of his mind that he would want to solve a mystery – including the mystery of what it wasn't he didn't want to think of._

_Then, suddenly, in the middle of the peace there was the beginning of an ache. Like the way a tooth might hurt just a little if you eat something really sweet, or a headache that was coming on from looking at the screen of his laptop too long. Except this ache was somewhere around his chest or stomach, and it wasn't enough to keep his slowly waking mind off the mystery of why he didn't want to wake. Which was enough to bring him around a little more._

_Beckett. Her face flashed in his mind, and he knew that whatever it was, it must have something to do with her. A gun battle? Shots were suddenly ringing in his mind, and he struggled awake, now, panicked that something had happened and he'd lost her. Memories of her crying, demanding that he let her go. He couldn't remember holding her, but he could remember her pleading with him to let her go._

_The gunshots again, and he jerked, even in his sleep. Beckett's face flashed in front of him again, then the shots again. Then her._

_"Kate…"_

_He remembered yelling it. Remembered fear like he'd never felt before as he heard the shots. Shot? A funeral. Cops in dress uniform and a flag being folded._

_"Kate!"_

_A loss like he'd never felt. Knowledge that he'd lost someone important. Someone he'd never see again. The funeral. The shots. Beckett breaking loose and running from him – toward the sound of the shot. Fear. Loss. Pain._

"_Kate!"_

OOOOOOOOOOOO

She'd sent the others all home. Not Martha and Alexis, of course; they'd gone on their own, but everyone else had been shooed away by her. She'd told Esposito to take Lanie home and make sure she was doing okay – if anyone could, he was the one to do it – and Ryan looked as tired as she felt. She'd told him to go home, but she had a feeling that he had gone back to the precinct instead to work through the evidence that was almost certainly coming in by then. That was his decision and she could understand completely, but she couldn't leave the hospital. Not to look for the shooter. Not to make sure Montgomery's family was all right. There was a security detail on them for the moment, making sure that whoever had taken the shot at Beckett wasn't going to go after them next. Not to do anything just then.

Once everyone had gone, Beckett had gone back to recovery again to check on Castle. The nurses were just removing his breathing tube and were watching him even more closely to make sure they weren't being premature, but she'd been told that he was doing fine as far as they could tell. She'd only stayed a few minutes, since it was clear she was in the way, but she made sure they knew exactly where she was going to be so they could let her know the moment he was transferred to a regular room. Then she'd slumped on the sofa, unable to use the time to think about anything but the worst that could have happened, and berate herself over and over again for allowing it.

She must have dozed off, because suddenly someone was shaking her shoulder. Startled, she jerked awake, and found one of the nurses standing by her, looking concerned. Which panicked her.

"What?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"We need you."

Without another word the nurse turned, and Beckett got up immediately and followed, her heart hammering in her chest with fear. Not surprising her, they led her to the recovery room, but before the door even opened she heard her name being shouted.

"_Kate!"_

The nurse stopped her at the door before she could rush in.

"We can't get him calmed. It has to be-"

"I'll take care of it."

She went into the room and saw a doctor hovering over Castle's bed. He was thrashing in the bed and the doctor was holding him down as well as she could without hurting him. The monitors that were next to the head of his bed were screaming warnings at them, and she could hear the rapid beeping that was a representation of his heartbeat. It was pounding so fast she was surprised the machine could even differentiate a separate beat. The doctor looked up when Beckett reached the bed, obviously relieved to see her.

"I can't sedate him without risking-"

"_Kate!"_

His eyes weren't open, so it was clear that he didn't know she was there. She wondered if he was even awake, but doubted that he was. Which meant it was a nightmare of some kind. Even as she was thinking it, she was already reaching for his hand, catching it in her own and leaning over him.

"Castle…"

He didn't answer her – didn't even seem to realize she was there. His body was tense and she could see the sheen of sweat on his face.

"No…"

It was a plea, and a heartbreaking one at that. It wasn't pain from his wound, but something else. Something awful. In response, Beckett touched his face with her free hand, wiping his sweat-dampened hair back, and then cupping his cheek.

"Rick? I'm here… Come back to me. Please?"

He stilled, the grip she had on his hand suddenly matched by his own holding her tight and she watched as his eyes opened. They were dazed and scared, and she brought his hand up to her lips and brushed a kiss against it. He stared at her, as if he couldn't believe she was really there – which was the case.

"Kate?"

"Yeah. I'm here."

He looked around without moving his head, noting the doctor and the monitors and the ceiling above them.

"Where am I?"

"The hospital."

The doctor caught Beckett's eyes.

"I'm going to leave you alone for a moment…"

Beckett nodded, and turned back to Castle, who still looked confused, although the fear and panic seemed to be subsiding. She reminded herself that he was probably still feeling the effect of the medications that they'd used on him. Not to mention whatever he'd been dreaming about.

"The hospital?" he echoed.

"Yeah."

"Alexis?"

"Is fine."

"My mother?"

"She's fine, too, Castle. We all are…"

"No." he looked at the monitors again, but she was certain he still wasn't completely there with her. "We're not… Something is wrong… Something is… _bad_…"

Yeah. It was bad.

Beckett sighed and sat on the edge of his bed, both hands holding his now, but she didn't know what to say.


	7. Chapter 7

The two of them grew quiet; Beckett lost in her thoughts and Castle trying to figure out what was going on. Eventually, he realized that she was holding his hand with hers and looked up at her.

"Kate?"

She looked down at him and must have realized he was asking for help, because she hesitated and then squeezed his hand lightly.

"What do you remember?"

He thought about it for a moment, and saw a flash of the funeral again.

"A funeral," he answered. "_Yours_…"

She shook her head, her eyes so sad and lost that he tightened his grip on her hand trying to comfort her.

"Not mine," she corrected, gently. "You don't remember?"

The thought back to his nightmare, trying to force his agile mind to give up whatever secret it was hiding from him, and saw a flash of a face, and heard the gunshots echoing in his mind. Beckett struggling, begging him to let her go, and finally breaking free to drop next to the still form…

"Roy's."

Beckett sniffed, and nodded, and Castle felt a tear fall on his hand. He looked up at her and wished that he could tell her something that would make it all go away. He was a writer, not a magician, though, and all he could do was hold her hand while she tried to gather the right words to continue.

"It's my fault he's dead," she said, more to herself than to him, he decided.

"No, it's not, Kate."

"He asked me to back off. _You_ practically begged me to back off. You both saw something coming that I didn't, and if I'd listened to you, he'd still…" her voice broke and her head bowed as she tried to bite back a sob and failed. "He'd still be alive… and-"

He pulled his hand from hers and ran it up her arm to her shoulder, trying to comfort her. Beckett sagged, and allowed him to pull her head down to his shoulder, and ignoring the sting from the IV needle in his offside hand, he wrapped his arms around her and held her while she cried out all her frustrations, sorrow and anger from the last few weeks.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered, brokenly, into his bare shoulder. "I'm so sorry…"

He didn't try to tell her that everything was okay. Instead he simply held her, brushing his fingers through her hair and pressing his lips against her tear-streaked cheek.

Neither could say how long she cried, but it might have been longer if she hadn't realized that the position had to be hurting him. Reluctantly, she pulled away, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

"I'm sorry…"

Castle shook his head.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, Kate," he told her, softly, catching her hand with his before she could move it out of his reach. "No one blames you…"

"Captain Montgomery-"

"Made a _mistake_," he interrupted. "But he made it long before you were involved, and that mistake was his to come clean to or cover up. He chose to cover it up. _That's_ what got him killed. Not you."

She shook her head, unable to meet his eyes.

"I pushed."

"For a good reason."

"Worth him _dying_ for?"

"He thought so."

She sniffed again.

"He shouldn't have. I was selfish. I was so… damned determined to figure out who was behind it that I wouldn't listen to anything anyone was saying…"

"It's okay…"

"How can you say that?" she asked, suddenly furious with him for being so understanding. Bad enough he'd been _shot_ and Montgomery was _dead_, but he was trying to make her feel better about the whole situation? "Don't you understand, Castle? I put that above everything else. Nothing mattered as much as-"

"Kate…" he looked down at his hand, which was holding hers so tightly. "You did what you thought was right. And before you start talking about being over-obsessive, I'll remind you of the time that you chose to kill your mother's killer rather than allow him to kill me."

She hesitated, then, and it was clear she hadn't thought about the day she'd killed Coonan in the precinct.

"I couldn't let him kill you."

He squeezed her hand.

"And I appreciate it, believe me."

Which made her smile for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime.

"Well, you returned the favor, in spades, today." She looked at the clock on the wall. "_Yesterday_, that is."

He frowned.

"Are you going to explain that?"

"You really don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

"What do you remember about the funeral?"

His eyes grew distant as he tried to remember, but it wouldn't come. Just a bunch of screaming, and a shot, and fear that he'd lost her.

"A shot?"

She nodded.

"You got shot?" he asked.

"_You_ got shot," she corrected. "That's why _you're_ in the bed and I'm not. You saw something and pushed me out of the way of the bullet."

"Really?" He looked down at himself, and saw that his torso was wrapped fairly tightly with a white bandage and there were a lot of monitors around him. "I don't… it doesn't hurt."

"It will," Beckett promised him. "You're going to be okay, though. Scared your mom and Alexis pretty badly."

"They're okay?"

"Yeah." She hesitated, and met his eyes with her own. "You scared me, too."

She saw him flush just a little, and he cleared his throat.

"I had to do it, though," he told her. "Even if I don't remember doing it."

She knew why, now. Even if he didn't remember what he'd told her. Even if he wasn't going to be able to admit it again.

"Thank you, Rick," she said, simply.

"I love you, Kate," he announced, suddenly, before he could censor himself and hide it from her. Better that she knew. He wasn't going to risk any more misunderstandings between them.


	8. Chapter 8

Kate hadn't expected that, and she froze, surprised. He gave her a slightly self-deprecating smile, but didn't back down from the statement. She looked at his hand, trying to figure out how to respond, but just as she opened her mouth, they both were interrupted by the door opening and the doctor peeking in, checking in on her patient.

"Everything okay in here?" she asked, coming into the room and automatically looking at the monitors keeping tabs on Castle's heart and other vitals. They looked a lot better than they had before, so she knew no matter what they said, it was definitely better than it had been.

Beckett let go of Castle's hand and stood up, flustered.

"Yes, it's fine." She looked down at him. "I should go call your mom and let her know you're awake and talking."

He nodded, glancing at the clock that was over the door.

"Tell her not to come rushing down here, though. Morning will be soon enough."

The doctor nodded her agreement.

"Visiting hours start at 8:00AM. We'll get him settled into a room and then he'll need some sleep. They can see him in the morning."

"I'll let them know." She hesitated. "You're going to be okay?"

Castle smiled, tiredly.

"Yeah. Tell them not to worry. And that I love them."

_And you_, his eyes told her.

"Okay."

She left the room and headed for the waiting room for lack of any place else to sit quietly. She called Castle's mom's number – which she'd pulled off his cell – and wasn't surprised when she answered almost immediately.

"_Detective?"_

"Hi, Martha. I was just calling to let you know he's awake."

"_How is he doing?" _

"He's still under the influence of whatever they gave him for the pain during surgery, so he's feeling pretty good, I think. He told me to tell you he's fine and not to worry."

She heard Alexis asking something in the background, and smiled because she sounded relieved.

_"Alexis wants to come down and see him…"_

"The doctor won't let anyone in until visiting hours. They're going to want him to get as much sleep as he can while he can."

She heard more muffled speaking as Martha relayed the message and then it was Alexis' voice she next heard.

"_Is he _really_ okay, Detective?"_

Kate smiled, allowing that smile into her voice because she knew that Alexis would hear it and be more reassured.

"He is. I just talked to him and he told me to tell you he loves you. When you come down in the morning, you might think about bringing him some pajamas and other toiletries he might need."

That would give her the feeling that she was accomplishing something, Beckett knew.

_"Are you going to see him again?"_

"Probably."

_"Will you tell him I love him?"_

"Definitely."

_"And we'll see him in the morning?"_

"Yes."

"_Thank you."_

They ended the call, and Beckett sat in the waiting room, feeling drained like she hadn't in a long time. Mentally, emotionally and physically, she was simply exhausted. She thought about heading home, and just coming back in the morning as well, but she honestly wasn't sure she'd make it home without falling asleep at the wheel. She could call someone to come and get her, but she knew the guys were probably just as tired as she was, and she didn't want to be a bother just then.

She'd wait.

She got up and went to the vending machine, where she bought a cup of awful coffee and then went to the nurse's station, knowing that they'd be the ones who could tell her where Castle's room would be and could tell her when he'd been settled into it. They made small talk with her until one of them made a call and then informed her that she could head up to his room if she wanted to. Which she did.

OOOOOOOOOOO

The room was a private one, with no window in the door for Beckett to peek in to see if he was there. She tapped lightly, not wanting to disturb him if he was asleep but wanting to give him notice that she was coming in if he wasn't, and then slipped into the room silently.

He was propped up in the bed with the aid of several pillows cushioning him from behind, and the ever-present monitors were still there, but now they were all on the wall at the head of the bed. Castle looked a little more wan than he had when she'd seen him only an hour or so earlier, but he smiled when he saw her enter the room, and Beckett echoed it.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"You talked to my mother?"

She nodded and walked over to the bed, pulling a padded chair over so she didn't have to stand and didn't have to take the edge of his bed, either.

"_And_ Alexis."

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah. She sounds okay. They'll be in in the morning to see you – and will bring you some things."

He watched her as she sat down and continued to watch her even after she'd settled. Beckett was aware of his scrutiny, and wondered what he was thinking.

"You look tired," he finally said.

"I am," she admitted.

"You don't have to stay… You should go home and get some sleep."

She shook her head.

"I need to be here."

His gaze softened, and he turned his hand over, holding it out to her. Kate only hesitated for a moment before shifting the chair close enough that she didn't need to move in order to take his hand, and when she did, he squeezed it lightly.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Being here."

She smiled, tiredly, remembering all the times he'd ever been standing beside her when she'd needed him – not even counting that morning.

"Always."

OOOOOOOOOOO

It was late. The hallways of the hospital were almost empty, with the only sound coming from the overhead lights and the occasional scrape or bump from a janitor cleaning something or moving something in the course of cleaning, and the rare chime at the nursing station at the end of the hall, coming from the instrumentation that was monitoring each individual patient's room.

A doctor walked up to the nurse's station, checked the records to see who was where, and then with a smile for the nurse who was on duty, he turned and walked down the hall. Stopping in front of one of the doors, he quietly opened it and stuck his head inside. The occupant of the bed was asleep, still propped up by the pillows but leaning slightly to the left, toward the person slumped in the chair next to his bed. She was asleep, too, and so worn out that she didn't even notice when the doctor entered the room and took a spare blanket from the cupboard near the bathroom and spread it over her, careful not to wake her up. He hesitated, then, watching them sleep, and his gaze lingered on the way they had fallen asleep still holding hands.

He watched them for a long moment, but finally turned and opened the door and left as quietly as he'd entered.

"Everything all right, Doctor?" the nurse asked as he walked back.

The doctor gave her a lopsided smile that didn't reach his eyes, and shrugged.

"For some, it would appear. Have a good night Evelyn."

"You, too, Doctor."


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning it wasn't a doctor or a nurse that woke Beckett. Instead it was a couple of early risers, who peeked into the room to check and see if there were any doctors with Castle and were not surprised to see that Beckett was so close – although there was a bit of surprise to see them holding hands.

"They look tired," Esposito murmured as he held the door open for his companion.

"Yeah. Rough week, huh?"

"One of the roughest I can remember."

He hung back by the door while she walked up to the bed. Instead of waking Castle – who almost certainly needed all the sleep he could get, she brushed a hand against Beckett's shoulder, lightly shaking it.

"Kate?"

Beckett opened her eyes, slowly, and even Esposito could see them widen slightly in surprise when she saw who was waking her up.

"Jordan?"

Agent Shaw smiled.

"Hey."

"Hi." Kate sat up with a quick glance over at Castle, who seemed to still be asleep, and then looked over at Esposito and then back at Agent Shaw. "What are you doing here? When-"

Shaw held up a hand to stop the questions.

"My team has been called in to help you with your investigation."

"What?"

Esposito walked over, glancing at Castle to see how he looked before looking back at Beckett.

"They're setting up in the precinct right now, Beckett."

"But this is our-"

"We're _not_ taking over, Kate," Shaw assured her, quickly. "We're here for backup – and because we have more resources than your department does. Resources that we fully intend to use."

Beckett was still waking up, so it probably wasn't too much of a surprise that she was having trouble concentrating on what she was being told. It was certainly understandable that she'd want to clarify things.

"You're here to help us?"

Shaw nodded.

"When Captain Montgomery was killed we were ordered by my director to start looking into what had happened. Once someone decided to take a pot-shot at you, and hit Castle, the Mayor of New York asked for us specifically – and since we already had the background started, we decided it would just be easier all around if we came up to help more directly."

"Castle's good friends with the mayor."

"Yeah, I know."

"When I came in this morning, she was already there," Esposito told her, with a slight smile. "Ryan was still there – he'd been up all night. She sent him home to get some sleep and we came here looking for you."

"But you're not _taking over_…?"

Shaw's smile was wry.

"No. You guys _do_ need the help, though, whether you want to admit it or not – and we're willing."

"They're also running protective details," Esposito added. "One here on Castle – just to make sure no one tries to finish what they started… Not to mention they can keep the press away."

"And the other?"

"On _you_," Shaw answered, clearly ready for an argument from Beckett. "They already tried once, there's no reason whoever they are might not try again – and every reason for them to – especially if you're close to figuring it out."

Beckett sighed, but she didn't argue. She was too discombobulated to do anything just then. She needed coffee. And a shower. And a change of clothes would be nice.

"Fine. I need to go home…" Truth be told, she was grateful for the help; Shawn had already proven she was adept at investigating. With Castle down, she'd welcome the extra sounding boards. She looked over at the sleeping form, torn between the need to get started with the investigation and the desire to stay and make sure he was okay when he woke up.

"I'll stay here," Esposito told her, his dark eyes understanding and reassuring. "When Castle wakes up I'll let him know what's going on and coordinate things with the security detail."

"And talk to his mother so she knows, too," Beckett added.

"Will do."

"And call me if anything happens."

"I will."

Kate rubbed her face, tiredly.

"I don't even know where my car is."

"At your place," he answered. "Lanie drove it there last night."

"I'll take you home, Kate," Shaw said. "That way I can get everything from you first hand. I've already got Ryan's and Esposito's take on things."

Beckett looked at Esposito.

"_Everything_?"

He nodded.

"We had to bring her in on it."

He wasn't apologetic, and she understood completely. Bad enough that the Captain had been killed, but with someone else still trying to finish things, they couldn't leave out any detail that might help – and Jordan was circumspect enough that she might even be willing to keep the details to herself and her team.

"Right." She picked up her purse and looked at Esposito again. "When he wakes up tell him I'll be back as soon as I can…"

"I will. Lanie wants you to call her when you can."

Beckett nodded, and Shaw headed for the door. With one last look over at Castle and then a whispered thank you to Esposito, she followed the FBI agent out the door.

OOOOOOOOOOO

"How's he doing?" Shaw asked as soon as they'd made it to her car and were headed for Beckett's.

"He woke up last night and managed a fairly lucid conversation before he fell asleep again. The doctors are saying he should recover fully."

"That's good news."

"Yeah."

Shaw looked over at her for a moment before turning her attention back to traffic.

"How are _you_ doing?"

Beckett knew the question wasn't just for politeness sake. She was really interested. And because she was sincere, Kate tried to be as honest as she could be – without baring her soul. Not something she was very good at.

"I've had better days."

"Yeah."

They drove in silence for a while, and Beckett finally shook her head.

"He jumped in front of a bullet for me…"

Shaw nodded.

"I told you he cared about you..."

"I know he cares about me… I just…" she trailed off, uncertain.

"Would you have done the same for him?"

"Yes."

The answer was immediate, and she knew it was the truth.

"But it's still _complicated_?"

Beckett sighed, leaning back into the leather of the seat and closing her eyes.

"More complicated than ever, really…"

Knowing that she would appreciate the change of topic rather than try to deal with emotions she hated to admit she had, Shaw changed the subject.

"Tell me what's been going on."

Relieved at the change, Beckett opened her eyes and started at the beginning.


	10. Chapter 10

Esposito had enough time to fold the blanket that Beckett had been using and just settle into the chair before the door opened and a couple of nurses entered. They smiled at the detective, who stood up.

"You're going to have to wait outside, sir," one said. "We're going to get Mr. Castle's bandages changed."

Which wasn't something Esposito wanted to see. He glanced at the IDS both of them had on their shirts – just to make sure that they really were employees of the hospital, and then went outside to the hallway to wait. The security detail was just arriving which gave him a bit of a distraction as he set the two-man team (one was actually a woman) up in the hall and introduced them to the duty nurse. Then, with them guarding Castle's room, he went and got a cup of coffee so he could settle in for a long wait.

OOOOOOOOOO

When they finally let him back into the room, Castle was sitting up in his bed and awake. Apparently getting bandages changed wasn't pleasant, though, because the writer was pale and had a line of sweat on his upper lip – something that Esposito knew was a by-product of something painful. Castle gave him a wan smile, however, when he saw who the visitor was, and he tried to sit up a little straighter.

"Hey."

"Hey, Castle. How you feeling bro?"

"I think they poured Pine-Sol on my side…"

Esposito smiled sympathetically.

"That bad?"

"Yeah. Are Alexis and my mother here, yet?"

"No, not yet. Probably won't be long – once they get by the press."

"The press are here?"

"_Famous writer gets shot_? What do _you_ think?"

Castle frowned.

"Where's Beckett?"

"With Jordan Shaw."

Esposito wasn't surprised to see Castle's eyes grow interested. He'd thrown the information out casually, but he'd known Castle would catch it.

"Shaw's here?"

"FBI came in last night. They're going to back us up on this one."

Castle looked a little skeptical.

"And Beckett's okay with that?"

Esposito nodded.

"They're _backing_ us – it's Beckett's show. Shaw confirmed it."

"They should be a lot of help."

"Yeah." Esposito hesitated for a second, clearly debating whatever he was going to say, but then spoke up again. "That took a lot of stones, Castle, pushing her out of the way like that."

The writer shook his head.

"I don't even remember doing it."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Still… saved her life, dude."

A bitter expression crossed Castle's face, then, and he shook his head, again.

"I'm the one that started this whole mess in the first place. I never would have forgiven myself if she'd been hurt – or worse."

"This isn't your fault," Esposito told him. "You weren't even around when her mom was killed."

"_I'm_ the reason the investigation reopened," Castle reminded him. "She had put it all behind her and I dredged it all back up because I couldn't leave it alone. I had to know the story… the cause. And look where it's gotten everyone. Roy's dead, his family is shattered, and someone is after Kate." He sighed, and winced at the pain that lanced through his belly at the motion. "She was in here last night feeling guilty and telling me she was sorry, but none of this is her fault. It's all mine."

Esposito didn't answer him right away, understanding the pain that he could see in the writer's eyes, but finally he shrugged.

"She killed the man that killed her mom. Without you digging into the case, she'd never have that closure."

"Is it worth Montgomery dying?"

It was almost exactly the same thing that Kate had asked him, but while his answer had been easy for her, the same question weighed heavily on him.

"He made his own mistakes, Castle," Esposito said, softly. "He was trying to make up for them. That isn't your fault."

"Why do I feel-"

He was interrupted by the door opening, and the sudden appearance of his daughter and his mother.

"Daddy!"

Alexis dropped the bag she was holding and rushed over to his side, clearly relieved to see him awake and talking. Esposito moved adroitly out of the way to make room for Martha as well, and he was relieved that the heavy mood lifted immediately at the appearance of the girl. Alexis was far too cheerful for moodiness to survive in her presence.

Castle hugged his daughter tightly, ignoring the pain in his side as he did so.

"Are you all right?" she asked him, looking him over, worriedly.

He nodded, reaching his arm around her as well as he could and holding her closely.

"I will be."

"Richard, you had us so worried…" his mother chided, leaning over and brushing a kiss against his forehead.

He caught Esposito's amused grin at his mother's attention and gave him a what can you do look, but caught Martha's hand in his.

"I'm sorry, Mother."

"You should be. Don't ever do it again. I think it aged me ten years."

He smiled.

"You wear it well."

She swatted his shoulder, carefully, and moved to where Alexis had dropped the bag.

"We brought you some things; pajamas, toiletries, and a few things to keep you occupied if you get bored."

"My laptop?"

Alexis smiled, still holding him.

"Yes. It was Ashley's idea – in case you wanted to write or something."

Castle raised an eyebrow at that.

_"Ashley?"_

"He stayed over last night," Alexis told him.

The writer looked over at his mother, who rolled her eyes at the mock concern in his expression.

"Don't worry, Richard," she assured him. "It was all very proper. He was a good distraction for Alexis."

"_That's_ what I'm worried about."

Alexis smiled.

"He slept on the couch."

"Where did _you_ sleep?"

Now it was her turn to swat his shoulder – but she was just as careful as her grandmother had been.

"In my bed," she informed him, firmly. "Even if _I_ had had any nefarious intentions, by the time Detectives Ryan and Esposito were done grilling him, he was afraid to come anywhere near me…"

Castle looked over at Esposito, who tried to look innocent and failed when a slight smile broke through.

"Well… that's a relief…"

"We got your back, Castle," the detective assured him.

It was only fair, since they knew he had theirs.


	11. Chapter 11

The precinct was bustling with activity, but even with the additional distraction of the FBI setting up their war room, there was still a pervasive sorrow that seemed to be looming over the entire area. Some of it came from the fact that there was no movement in Montgomery's office – there would be a replacement assigned, but it hadn't happened yet. More of it was from the fact that the other police officers were well aware that they'd lost one of their own and had almost lost yet another the day before. People looked up when Beckett entered with Shaw, both of them holding a cardboard box filled with the items that Beckett had had at her house on her homemade murder board. Now that the investigation was official, there was no reason for it to be at home and not at the precinct.

A few officers and detectives greeted her with questions about how she was and how was Castle doing. More watched her, uncertainly; wanting to greet her but unsure if she was in the mood for any kind of small talk or questions and not wanting to be intrusive if she wasn't. Beckett greeted those who spoke to her and ignored the uncertainty of the others as she walked across the floor with the FBI agent.

"What do we have so far?" Shaw asked her team as she entered the war room and set the box she'd been carrying on the table. Beckett followed suit.

"Not much to go on," one of the agents replied. He brought up an overhead view of the cemetery on the large plasma screen hanging on what had been a bare wall earlier that day. "The shooter was set up here," he pointed to one spot that was behind a medium sized tombstone. "We are waiting for forensics to get back to us with ballistics and the crime scene evidence that they were able to find, but it's not going to be much to go on – unless we get lucky and the shooter used a distinctive or rare kind of weapon. Probably it's a high-powered rifle of some sort. The hospital sent us the slug they pulled from Castle and they're looking at it now."

Shaw nodded.

"Any sign of the shooter coming or going?"

"Yeah. We checked all the tapes from the area and most are accounted for. A couple of witnesses say they saw a white SUV, and we have one coming in about an hour before the funeral and the same rig leaving at a high rate of speed right after Castle was shot."

He brought up an image of a white blur in the street, pushed a few keys on his computer and it cleared up a little until they could make out that it was an SUV.

"Looks like a Tahoe," Beckett said, tilting her head slightly.

"We agree," the agent said. "But we're hoping that our lab guys can clean it up even more and maybe even find us a plate number."

"It'll probably be stolen," Beckett mused.

"Maybe," Shaw agreed. "But you never know. We might get lucky. At least we'll know what we're looking for."

Beckett nodded. Anything was better than nothing. Which was what she had before. She looked over at her desk, and at the empty chair sitting beside it. She already missed having Castle spout off some odd theory – like aliens, or time machines, or even a butler with a grudge. She felt a brief pang, and had to force down the urge to grab her phone and call him and see how he was doing. For one thing, he didn't have his cell as far as she knew. For another, she had things to do here. If something was wrong Esposito would let her know immediately, and she wasn't helping anyone hovering over him or crying on his shoulder.

"Kate?"

Shaw had noticed her distraction, and Beckett started, embarrassed and annoyed with herself for allowing it.

"Sorry. What?"

She gave Beckett a knowing smile that was slightly tinged with sympathy for her wanting to be in one place and held in another by perceived duty.

"We're thinking that we should try to link the parties one more time. You guys managed to figure out that there were three officers involved."

"_Castle_ figured it out," Beckett interrupted.

Shaw wasn't surprised.

"There has to be another connection between those three and whoever ended up blackmailing them. We must be missing something. Let's go over what you brought in and integrate it with what we know so far."

OOOOOOOOO

Alexis and Martha stayed at the hospital until after breakfast. Then the staff shooed them away for a while, telling them firmly that their patient needed to get some rest so that he would heal faster. It was calculated, of course, since there was no way that a visitor could refuse once they invoked the length of healing time, and it worked just as well with Alexis, although she hesitated anyway, thinking that she might be able to just stay in the room and watch her dad sleep.

Castle vetoed that himself, though; telling her that as much as he loved her, the last place she needed to hover was in a hospital room. Her grandmother agreed with him, and with both of them ganging up on her, it wasn't long before she reluctantly agreed – as long as she was allowed back later in the afternoon.

Esposito had already introduced the girl and her grandmother to the FBI agents guarding the door, so he assured them that wasn't going to be a problem. By the time the two of them left for home, Castle was already asleep, worn out by a morning of trying to act fine for his daughter and hiding just how bad his stomach was hurting. Esposito walked with them to the elevator, and assured them that someone would call them if anything changed. Then, once they were gone, he returned to Castle's room to check on him once more, knowing that Beckett was going to ask about him and wanting to be able to tell her the latest. With his laptop and a book on the table that had held his breakfast, the writer had enough to occupy himself if he woke up and there was no one to talk to. Esposito checked the monitors once more, and then turned and left. He had a cop killer to find.

OOOOOOOOOO

Ashley was waiting for them when they pulled up to their apartment. They'd invited him to go with them that morning, but he'd told them he needed to go home and check in with his folks and get changed. Knowing that she needed him, though, he promised Alexis he'd see her as soon as he could, and in keeping with that promise he'd been waiting for them to get home. His reward was a smile that melted his heart to goo, and for that he would have waited for her for a month.

"Did you see him?"

Alexis smiled, and nodded.

"He was awake. And he looked okay."

"He looked wonderful," Martha said, just as relieved as her granddaughter was. She opened the door. "Ashley? Would you like to join us for lunch?"

"Yes, please. Thank you."

He followed them into the foyer, and Martha turned to look at him.

"What do you have there?"

The young man looked at the stack of items in his hand; he'd forgotten he even had them.

"Your mail," he said, holding it out. "The mailman gave it to me when it wouldn't fit into the box."

Martha took the stack, looking at it with distaste. She hated the mundane routine of bills and ads. Most of the time fan letters for Richard – and herself (which was a bit rarer) – went to the agents and was sent over in bundles, so there was rarely anything interesting to her in the mail they received.

"What's this?" she asked, more to herself than to the youngsters, since they had both converged on the kitchen and were talking about Alexis' dad. She looked at the large yellow envelope that was addressed to her son in handwriting she didn't recognize. Which meant it wasn't from his agent or publicist. There was no return address, but it was clearly addressed to him. She set the rest of the mail down and hefted the package. Maybe a manuscript? That was entirely possible. And even better, if it was, then it would be something he could look at while he was stuck in bed. Hopefully something interesting to keep him occupied.

She set the envelope down on the stand by the door. They could drop it off when they went to see him that evening.


	12. Chapter 12

_Author's note: Okay! I hope you all had a good holiday weekend. I certainly did. Time to get back to the story, however. For those who sent me messages asking, the yellow envelope is the one that we see Montgomery loading up and mailing off. Of course, in the show we didn't see exactly what is in it, or who he sent it to, so just remember that this is my take on it._

OOOOOOOOOOO

When Castle next woke up, he was sore and miserable. And _alone_. Which was fine with him, really, because as sore as he was, he wasn't ready to try and reassure Alexis just then, and didn't feel like trying to make conversation with anyone else, either. The middle of his stomach ached abominably and it stabbed fire through his entire torso every time he tried to move. He felt light-headed and his mouth was dry and the portable table was too far away to even attempt to try and get the cup of water for a drink. All and all, he was pretty much as miserable as he could ever remember being. Even worse, he didn't feel like having a nurse fuss over him, so he hesitated to push the button that he knew would summon someone to at least hand him the water. He thought he'd read somewhere about a button or something that he could push for a painkiller, but he couldn't get his mind to focus on anything than how much he hurt.

He sighed, and leaned back into the pillow, trying to will the pain to go away. It didn't work. A glance at the clock above the door told him that it was only a little after noon, so Alexis or his mother wouldn't be back for some time. He _could_ try to go back to sleep and maybe wouldn't hurt so badly when he woke up next time. Small hope. He closed his eyes, and tried to concentrate on sleeping.

He couldn't sleep, though. He stayed as still as he could, his eyes closed and trying to relax as much as possible, but while closing his eyes helped a little with how light-headed he felt, it only made the ache more pronounced.

_"Hey…"_

Castle must have dozed off, despite thinking he wasn't going to. He opened his eyes, startled at the soft whisper, and found himself looking directly into Beckett's concerned gaze. She gave him a worried smile, and he tried to reciprocate, only to find that the ache was still there. The smile ended up as more of a grimace than anything, and Beckett frowned.

"Hurt?"

He nodded. There was no way he was going to be able to hide it from her, after all. She knew him as well as anyone.

"Yeah."

Beckett brushed her hand against his cheek, which felt nice – although it didn't do anything to ease the ache in his stomach.

"Did you dose yourself?" she asked him, looking down at the plunger mechanism that was by his right hand. She was sure one of the medical staff had explained it to him the night before.

"What?"

She decided he looked distracted, and his face was pinched with pain and pale. Obviously he was feeling the pain she'd promised him would come. Much to her own dismay. She reached over him and took his hand in hers, guiding it to the mechanism that allowed him to self-administer some pain medication. The machine wouldn't allow him to over-dose but she could see that he hadn't used it at all, and she put his thumb on the plunger that actually activated the painkiller and pressed it, so he'd know what it felt like next time. There was a slight hissing noise, and it was almost comical how relieved Castle suddenly looked.

Almost.

She was still very much aware that he was in pain because he took a bullet for her.

"Better?"

He caught her hand before she could move it and squeezed it lightly before releasing her.

"Yeah. Thanks."

She offered up a slight smile.

"You're welcome."

"I heard Jordan is here."

"Not here at the _hospital_, but she's here in town, yes. They're set up at the precinct."

"Like last time?" He asked, showing a bit of interest at that, and she knew he was in love with all the technology that the Feds had that NYPD didn't. She might have been annoyed before, but just then she was really just glad to see him looking a little more alert. No matter what it took.

"Yep. When you get released you can come and drool."

He smiled, knowing that she was teasing and feeling well enough now that the painkiller had kicked in that he was able to appreciate it.

"Right now I'd settle for a drink…"

She turned and looked for a glass, found the one on the table and handed it over to him. He thanked her with a smile and took a long drink before handing it back to her.

"Did your mom and Alexis come see you?"

"They had breakfast with me."

"And you did everything you could to keep them from worrying?"

He nodded.

"It might have even worked."

"Good."

They fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts and feelings – and Castle feeling even more light-headed than he had before he'd taken the dose of painkiller. Which was much better than hurting as far as he was concerned – although it did make it a bit harder to concentrate.

"Have you guys come up with anything on the shooter?" he finally asked, uncertain if she wanted to discuss it, but curious despite himself.

"We're waiting on forensics on the slug and the crime scene guys to give us their findings," she told him without any hesitation. "There probably won't be a lot to go on there, but we might have a lead on his car, which could be big."

"Anything I can do to help?"

Beckett shook her head.

"There isn't even anything _I_ can do right now. We have to wait for more information." She reached for his hand and squeezed it, reassuringly. "What _you_ need to do is take care of you right now. We need you healthy. _I_ need you healthy."

This last was blurted out before she could stop it, but the way his eyes warmed when she said it made her glad that she hadn't censored herself.

"You do?"

She rolled her eyes, but there was no amusement in her voice or her expression when she answered. Only sincerity.

"Yeah. I do. So get better, okay?"

He nodded.

"Okay."

She sighed, looking down at their intertwined fingers.

"Is there anything I can bring you?"

Castle shook his head, but his grip on her hand tightened marginally.

"Can you stay for a while? Keep me company?"

Beckett hesitated.

"You should get some rest…"

"I'll sleep better with you here."

She smiled.

"Why don't I believe you?"

"Because it isn't true," he admitted. "I'd appreciate the company, though."

"I can stay for a while."


	13. Chapter 13

It didn't take Castle long to fall back asleep. With the pain gone, and Beckett sitting by him holding his hand and talking to him about absolutely nothing important, he was able to relax enough that his mind was able to succumb to his body's need for rest so it could heal. She watched him wage a losing battle against it, knowing that he was trying to stay awake to keep her company, and smiled softly when his eyes finally closed and his grip on her hand gave way completely.

Beckett could have left then, knowing that he wouldn't have noticed and would have understood completely once he woke up, but she was tired enough to be willing to stay in one place for a while, and sitting with him gave her own mind – which had been racing with thoughts of evidence and forensics and all other things police associated – a chance to relax as well. Something she needed, even if she didn't realize it just then. The machines that were monitoring his vitals were softly rhythmatic and the gentle noise was soothing – it _had_ to be or it would keep a patient awake. She held his hand quietly, watching him sleep. It was amazing to her that someone so energetic and fidgety when he was awake could manage to look so peaceful when sleeping.

Finally, when she realized that she was going to doze off if she didn't get up and move around, Beckett gave his hand a gentle caress and let him go. She stood up and looked down at him, resisting the urge to run her hand along his cheek.

"See you later, Rick," she whispered, softly, to avoid disturbing him. Then she turned and headed for the door. Right as she reached it, her phone went off – she'd put it on vibrate to keep it from disturbing anyone and now she was glad she had. A quick glance as she left the room told her that it was Josh and not Jordan or Esposito and Ryan, and she hit the answer button just as she noticed Martha and Alexis coming down the hallway toward her, carrying a handful of things and talking to one of the FBI agents who had been assigned to Castle's room and floor.

"_Kate?"_

She heard Josh's voice coming through the phone, and waved to Martha and Alexis as she answered him.

"Hi, Josh. Can you hold on a sec?"

Without waiting for an answer, she smiled at Alexis, who stopped by her.

"Hi, Detective Beckett."

"Hi, Alexis."

"How's he doing?"

"He's sleeping, but he was awake a little while ago. He told me to tell you hi if I saw you."

She smiled.

"Really?"

"Yes." Which wasn't the truth, but she knew that Castle wouldn't mind the lie. Especially since it made the girl's eyes light up happily to know that he was thinking about her.

"Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He just needs a lot of rest, the doctors tell me."

"I told you, honey," Martha spoke up. "The doctors aren't going to tell us he's all right if he _isn't_, and they're saying that he's doing really well."

_She_ looked worried, too, Kate noticed, but she was doing all that she could to reassure Alexis. Which was only right.

"What do you guys have there?" Beckett asked, to change the subject and keep the girl from worrying too much over something she shouldn't be.

Alexis held up the bag she'd been holding.

"I made him cookies. Want one?"

"Absolutely."

As Castle's daughter opened the bag and dug her out a cookie, Beckett turned to Martha, who had a small stack of white envelopes and one large yellow one that looked to be fairly thick.

"What's all that?"

"Some letters from people he knows – mostly get well cards I thought might distract him if he wakes up and is bored – and what I'm pretty sure is a manuscript, but I haven't snooped in it to see." The older woman shrugged. "I figured he might get tired of writing and decide to read someone else's work for a while."

"Good idea."

Martha nodded.

"I though so." She took a long moment to look Beckett over, her sharp gaze not missing anything. "_You_ look tired, Detective."

"I am," Kate admitted. "It's been a rough week."

"I know." She did, too. Her son had kept her mostly in the loop with what was going on – even though she knew he hadn't told her everything. She knew him too well for him to keep a secret from her for long. "You should go home and get some rest, though. You're not going to be doing anyone any good if you collapse."

Beckett nodded, and smiled when Alexis handed her not one freshly made chocolate chip cookie but a stack of them, neatly tied in a plastic baggy.

"I _thought_ you might want some," the girl told her. "So I made an extra batch so you could have some."

"That's really sweet of you," she said, meaning it.

Alexis handed her another bag – this one even fuller.

"These are for Detective Ryan and Esposito."

"They'll love them," Beckett assured her, knowing that it was the absolute truth. If she let them, the guys would gobble theirs and then hers for good measure. She'd make sure to hide hers – or take them home before handing over the others. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I'd better get going," Kate told them.

"I don't think we'll stay, either," Martha said, much to Alexis' disappointment. "If he's asleep I don't want to wake him. We'll never get him back to sleep…"

While Beckett knew it was true – especially since he'd want to spend as much time with Alexis as he could, to keep her reassured that he was going to be fine – she was surprised that the younger Castle nodded her agreement as well, albeit reluctantly.

"She's right." She looked at her grandmother. "Can I take the stuff into his room and just check on him, though? I'll be quiet."

Martha handed the stack of envelopes over to her and smiled.

"Don't be long."

"I won't."

The girl vanished into the room, closing the door silently behind her and Beckett smiled at Martha.

"I need to get back to the precinct."

"And then home to get some rest?"

"I promise."

Martha smiled, and waved her away.

"We'll see you soon, Detective."

Only when she was in the elevator did Beckett remember the phone call. She swore softly to herself and brought the phone to her ear.

"Josh?"

There was no answer. He'd given up on waiting and had hung up.


	14. Chapter 14

_Author's note: Okay, so after much much much thought and reviewing various episodes that pertain to the search for Beckett's mom's killer, I decided that I really would rather not make an attempt at solving the who did it question in the case. Knowing the way the show works, it's probably someone we haven't even met yet, but more than that, I don't want to accidentally be right if I did get it, because it would make the show a little anticlimactic for me. Besides, I'd rather write my own mystery out and be able to have Montgomery still alive to play a part in it. I'm not done with this story, yet, but I wanted to let you guys know. Thanks for reading and I hope you're enjoying it._

OOOOOOOOOOOO

They woke Castle up so he could eat a fair-sized dinner, but then the medical staff left him alone so he could continue the nap that they'd interrupted. He was willing. The medication was making him sleepy, and his body was catching up on sleep that he'd missed even before he'd been shot. He was asleep again before they even cleared out the dishes.

When he woke next, the room was bathed in a semi darkness that told him it was sometime in the middle of the night. The room was quiet anyway, but there were usually the occasional sound coming from the hall outside if someone passed by and he wasn't even able to hear that. Only the beeping of the machines by his head and the sound of his own gasp of pain when he sat up a little more and jarred his stomach painfully.

"Ow…"

He ran his hand along the device that triggered the painkiller but hesitated, waiting to see if the pain would fade on its own. He could handle a little ache, and had heard and read all about people getting themselves addicted to painkillers. That wasn't something he wanted to even chance. If he didn't need a dose, he wasn't going to take one.

The stabbing pain did fade after a few minutes, leaving an ache that wasn't unbearable – although it wasn't _fun_ by any means. It would keep him awake, most likely, but Rick Castle was tired of sleeping and was ready to be awake for a while – even if it meant talking to himself since there wasn't anyone else around.

Thirsty, he looked for the cup of water that was ever present on the table by his bed and was relieved to see it was there and full. Even better, it was close enough that he could pull the whole table over across his lap. He took a drink and noticed a little green gift bag sitting on a stack of envelopes – and one large yellow one. Curious, he opened it and looked inside, and smiled with delight when he pulled out the small bag of cookies and a note.

_Enjoy the cookies – love Alexis_

Castle smiled and immediately shoved one in his mouth, savoring it far more than he had the pathetic cookies that they'd given him with his dinner. Of course, _those_ weren't made just for him by his baby girl, either. He smiled, satisfied, and looked in the bag again, and pulled out a small stuffed bear, with a curly brown fuzzy body and little beady black eyes. There was a little card on a string around its neck and Castle recognized his mother's handwriting.

_He'll keep you company. Alexis said you have to name him._

He chuckled and looked at the bear again as he pulled the string off its neck, trying to thing of a name that his daughter would approve of. Ashley? Castle smiled, but discarded that name immediately.

"Bob? Bib? Bobby? _Dobby_?" The bear didn't reply, and Castle scowled. "Just for _that_, I'm going to call you Reginald."

In a very good mood, now, he set the bear in the spot between his neck and left shoulder, grabbed another cookie and then picked up the stack of envelopes. They looked like get well cards. Not mailed, of course – he hadn't been in the hospital long enough for the ones people would be mailing to arrive – but most likely from friends that would know they could give the cards to his mother and she'd deliver them up personally. Which she obviously had. None had the name of the sender – he'd have to open them to read who it was from – but he didn't mind. He had plenty of time to browse through them, after all, and he pushed the table away a little to give him room and set the stack in his lap and opened the one on top.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The precinct was quiet. It was the middle of the week in the middle of the month and there was a definite lull going on. Part of it was the time of day and the time of the month – more crime happens in the beginning of the month when everyone has the money to buy the drugs and alcohol that always seem to be a contributing factor to the more violent crimes. Another part of it, though, was that there had been an attempt on an officer's life and whenever that happened the other cops tended to be more vigilant and had a greater presence in the areas they patrolled. This put a damper on the crimes that were committed and made things a little easier – at least for the moment.

Which was fine with the FBI and the detectives in the 12th precinct. Ryan and Esposito had both fallen asleep at their desks, poring over videos that they'd watched so many times they knew by heart, but that they had decided they might have missed something and felt the need to double and triple check. Beckett had tried to send them both home to get some rest, but they'd lied and told her that they were fine – and had promptly fallen asleep again. Beckett simply shook her head, deciding that it was their own choice and had then dozed off at her desk reading a report that had been written before she even became a cop.

Shaw watched Beckett sleep, debating whether or not she could convince her to go home where she could get some real sleep instead of a broken nap here and there that wasn't really doing her any good and would certainly leave her more tired than before. It was the reasoning that Beckett had tried to use on the guys, but Jordan was pretty sure it wasn't going to be enough to get Beckett out of the precinct. Nothing would do that, she figured, unless they came up with a lead that could be investigated. Which was what they were waiting on.

"They're going to be worthless if they don't get some rest…"

Shaw turned and saw that one of her people had joined her and was watching the detectives as well.

"It's personal, you know that."

He nodded.

"I know. I wish we had something to give them."

"No word on the car, yet?"

"It shouldn't be much longer – but there are a lot of white Yukons in New York. If we don't get a solid picture of the plate, we're going to have trouble finding it."

"I know." Shaw sighed, feeling tired, too, but nowhere near ready to admit it. She took a sip of the coffee she'd been holding and shrugged. "Call and see if the techs are still there. If they aren't, find out why and get someone on it. Otherwise find out why it's taking so long."

"You got it."

He turned and headed into the war room, and Shaw picked up a report that she'd already studied a hundred times it seemed and started reading it again. There was always the chance that she'd missed something, after all.

OOOOOOOOOO

He'd been right about the cards. They were from close friends in New York who had obviously given them to his mother for her to deliver. Most of them had simply been notes to tell him they were thinking of him, or praying for him, or – in the case of his poker buddies – that they were drinking his booze and playing cards without him that week. He read them all, grinning at the ones that were funny and warmed by the ones that were a little more serious. He rolled his eyes when he read the one from his editor but he supposed it was to be expected that they'd worry that he had hurt his hands or his head. He put the last one on the stack of opened cards and then looked up at the clock to check the time.

It was 3 AM and he still wasn't sleepy. Even better, the ache in his gut wasn't too unbearable. Maybe chocolate chip cookies were the cure for pain. Better even than morphine, or whatever it was they were giving him.

His eyes fell on the thick envelope and he picked it up, curiously.

"What do we have _here_, Reginald?" he asked his bear, hefting the envelope curiously. It almost looked like a manuscript or a book, but the handwriting wasn't anything he recognized and he couldn't recall promising anyone that he'd read anything recently. With a shrug that upended Reginald, he turned the envelope over and opened it at the seal.

"Hello… what's this?"

The stack of items he pulled out wasn't a manuscript. Files. Police files according to the labels on them. He frowned, and started to open the top one when he saw the white paper that had slipped out of the envelope when he'd pulled the files out. A quick glance at the signature at the bottom made his heart skip a beat, and he read the letter carefully, but quickly. Then read it again just to make sure he wasn't imagining what he'd just read.

"Whoa…"

He opened the first file, unable to believe what he was supposedly holding in his hand, and started reading.

OOOOOOOOOOO

An insistent buzzing on her desk pulled Beckett from her fitful nap and she started, looking around to try and figure out what the noise was. Her eyes fell on her phone just as she realized she'd dozed off, and she scowled, annoyed with herself for falling asleep when she had so many things to do.

The phone buzzed again and she picked it up, glancing at her watch. It was almost 4 AM. Who the hell would be calling her so late? She looked over and saw Esposito and Ryan both sleeping at their desks and knew it wasn't them, and then caught the name on the caller ID.

Castle.

Immediately concerned, and wide awake now, she answered.

"Castle?"

_"Kate."_

His voice sounded odd, even to her.

"Are you okay?"

_"I don't know. I need you here. Now."_

"What?" she was surprised at the demand.

_"I need you here."_

"I- what? Why?"

"_I…"_ she could hear the hesitation in his voice, and something else that she just couldn't recognize. It made her even more concerned, and she wondered if he'd had another nightmare or something worse. "_I need to talk to you. Now. Bring Esposito and Ryan. And Jordan, if she's still there_."

Beckett stood up, even more confused by that particular request, but starting to get the idea that he might have thought of something – especially if he was requesting the others to join them. Obviously he wasn't thinking of trying to seduce her in the middle of the night. That was enough for her.

"We'll be right there."


	15. Chapter 15

It was a cautious group that converged on Castle's hospital room less than 10 minutes after Beckett got off the phone with him. They'd rushed over in Beckett's car, while Jordan called ahead to double-check that the detail she'd left on the writer's room were still there. Suspicious about the call – and what cop isn't suspicious? – the first thing they'd thought was that someone was trying to lure Beckett into an ambush using Castle as bait. Much the same way Montgomery had used Kate as bait the night he'd made his stand. The two man detail had advised Shaw that they'd been watching the room carefully and that everyone who had been allowed in was someone that belonged – and that no one had been in there in hours. One of them offered to double-check on him, but Shaw said no, figuring if it was an ambush the best way to get their bad guy – or guys – was to spring it.

Guns out once they'd reached the door, Shaw looked over at Beckett and nodded. She was the bait, after all, and it was her choice when she wanted to try and spring the trap – if it was indeed a trap. Beckett put her gun away, took a deep breath, and then tapped lightly on the door before opening it and walking through, her hand lightly resting in the small of her back – just in case.

"Castle?"

He was alone as far as she could tell. Sitting up in bed, he had a mess of papers on his lap and on the table – which had been cleared of everything else. Beckett frowned; her quick glance taking in the entire room. He looked terrible. Pale and wan, his eyes were red and haunted as he looked up at her but didn't answer her. She noticed at the same time she took in his condition that the papers that were all over him and his table had file folders that bore definite signs of being police files. None of which should be here.

"Rick? What's going on? Are you okay?"

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He swallowed and tried again, and this time his voice was hoarse and ragged.

"I found this when I woke up," he told her, reaching over painfully and picking up an empty envelope. Beckett recognized it as the one Martha had been carrying that Alexis had delivered to her father's room earlier that evening. "Apparently it came in the mail addressed to me…"

Beckett nodded, deciding that there wasn't someone hiding in the room that had forced Castle to call her.

"Your mom and Alexis brought it while you were sleeping. Martha said it was a manuscript."

He shook his head, and Beckett felt rather than saw that Esposito and Ryan had moved up to stand on either side of her, flanking her protectively while they were checking for intruders. Shaw was already opening the bathroom door to do the same, and she still had her gun out. A moment later she shook her head at the guys, who put their guns away. Kate only had eyes for Castle just then.

"It's not."

Beckett walked over, looking at the papers. They were definitely police files.

"What is it?"

"Files." He looked down at the papers in his lap. "Four old police files…"

"Who sent them to you, Castle?" Shaw asked, walking over as well.

The writer picked up a piece of white paper that had handwriting on it – a far different paper than the rest of them, for the most part. He looked at Kate and the guys, but then back to Beckett before offering it over to her.

"Roy Montgomery."

There was a sudden silence in the room, and Beckett took the paper from him, glancing at it as she also picked up the envelope. She recognized Montgomery's handwriting instantly, and couldn't miss the signature at the bottom of the short note he'd written. Addressed to Castle as well as the envelope she looked at. She handed the envelope back, not even noticing who took it from her as she started reading the note.

_Rick,_

_I didn't know who to trust, but I know you're one of the few I can. It's all gone wrong and there's only one way I can think of to fix it. It's not going to be pretty, but I'll take care of my end. What I need you to do is make sure this information gets into the hands of the people who can use it to see that the men that I can't get to tonight are brought to justice long over-due. Be careful. A lot of good men and women have died because of this, and it's time that those responsible are held accountable. Which, by now, you know also includes me. I know you'll do what's right. I need you to watch over Kate, and protect her, because if tonight goes down the way I expect it to, I won't be able to any more. Tell her and the guys that I'm sorry. More sorry than any of them will ever be able to believe, and that I love them._

_Roy Montgomery_

She didn't realize that she was crying until a single tear fell on the bottom of the paper, and Beckett sniffed, and wiped her eyes with her free hand.

"What is it, Kate?" Jordan asked, gently.

She handed the letter to Shaw and her eyes met Castle's, and now she knew why he looked like he'd been crying – and why he'd had so much trouble talking to her over the phone.

"It's postmarked the night he was killed," Esposito said, looking at the envelope and then over Shaw's shoulder as she read the note. Ryan did the same on the other side, and Beckett looked at the papers Castle had in his possession.

"It's _everything_," he told her, roughly. "All the proof you'll need…"

"Everything?" she echoed, dumbly, unable to gather her thoughts beyond the shock of a new twist in a case that had cost her so much already.

"Pictures, audio, names…" he trailed off, looking down at his lap. "_Every_ name. He was right; it's enough to indict people you never could have touched otherwise."

"We need to put in a call to Justice," Shaw said, handing the note to Ryan. She felt for the detectives – and for Castle. Wounds that were barely even starting to form scabs were suddenly being ripped wide open once more, and she could well understand the sudden shock in their expressions.

"You can't," Castle told her.

"But-"

"Read these, first," he said, looking from Kate for the first time to meet the FBI agent's gaze. "Then you'll know who _you_ can trust."

Which made complete sense – and also told her that he'd read a couple of names that he recognized. Which made her a little nervous and scared to see who might be implicated that she knew and cared about. Montgomery chose well, she decided as she went out to the hallway to ask for a few more chairs – and to assure the detail that everyone was okay. Castle was as much as an untouchable, really. He was already wealthy, so no one could bribe him to hide the information. He had a relatively clean history – what few brushes with the police he had had he was more proud of than ashamed of – so he couldn't be blackmailed, and there was no doubt where – and _to_ _whom_ – his loyalties rested.

Beckett dropped into the chair that she'd used before, and reached blindly for Castle's hand, needing the support from him and giving him what little she could give him in return.

"I can't believe this..." Esposito murmured, reaching for one of the files before seating himself on the edge of Castle's bed to start glancing through it. "He must have been holding this for some kind of leverage…"

"Or because he just couldn't let it go," Beckett said, remembering the haunted look in the captain's eyes the night he'd died. She felt the burn of tears again, and brushed them away before letting go of Castle's hand and reaching for one of the files as well.

There was a lot to read, and dawn was already starting to lighten the sky outside Castle's window.


	16. Chapter 16

They read the files in silence for hours. The medical staff tried to come in to get Castle awake and ready for his day, but finding all the police officers in the room, they recognized that something important was going on and settled for feeding him – and the others since they were there as well. One of the braver nurses checked his bandage while the others did the best they could to hide the information they were reading, but she wasn't interested and didn't stick around any longer than necessary. Five trays were settled on a spare table that was brought in, but none of them were even touched.

"This is crazy," Esposito finally said, dropping the last file onto Castle's blanket covered legs. "I can't believe what I just read."

Beckett had finished before him and understood his disbelief – and the ache that she could see in his eyes. It had all been there and Roy Montgomery had done nothing to hide his own initial involvement and the fact that he knew all the players even well beyond that. Since he hadn't moved from his seat on the edge of Castle's bed, it was easy for her to lean over and rest her hand lightly on his knee.

"I know."

"The question we need to answer now," Ryan said, leaning back in his chair and looking at them. "Is what do we do now?"

"We do what Montgomery wanted," Castle replied. "Use the information he gave us to bring them all down."

"_How_ is more the question," Shaw said, softly. Of all of them she was the most stunned by the names revealed in the files. Of course, she had reason to be since she was a fed and several of those implicated were people in service above herself. "This is so big, I can't even imagine the best way to get-"

"We make copies," Castle told them. "Copies of everything, before the word gets out that the information exists. Then send copies to the major papers – both liberal and conservative to make sure that there is absolutely no chance of cover up from either side." He looked at Shaw. "Then you take a copy to Justice for them."

"And the original?" Beckett asked. "Where does it go?"

"Into my safety deposit box," Castle told them. "Until we make sure that everyone is getting what they deserve."

The others looked at him, and then at Beckett, telling her without words that it was her call. She didn't hesitate more than a moment before she nodded.

"You guys go with Jordan. Don't go to the station, make the copies someplace public and then get them out as soon as you can. This isn't something we're going to want to sit on any longer than necessary."

That was something they could all agree on, and Esposito gathered up all the files and put them back in the envelope they were sent in and then stood up, looking at Shaw and Ryan. Both stood up as well, and Jordan looked over at Castle.

"There's nothing in here to indicate you're the source – or that Montgomery sent them to you – but I'm going to keep the detail on you for a couple more days. Just to make sure."

"And one on my mother and Alexis?"

Shaw nodded.

"Yeah. It's probably not necessary, but better safe than sorry."

"Don't make a big deal out of it, though," Ryan cautioned. "Otherwise it'll make people suspicious. The last thing we want is anyone looking at Castle right now."

There were nods of agreement to that, and then the three left, closing the door behind them. Castle looked over at Beckett, who sighed and leaned into her chair, closing her eyes.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded, but didn't open her eyes.

"It's been a long day…"

"I know." He hesitated, and then reached under his pillow and pulled out a white envelope. She didn't notice, because she hadn't opened her eyes, and he looked at the letter, and then over at her for a long moment, uncertainly.

Beckett must have realized that something was up, because she opened her eyes and looked over at him. The curiosity turned into concern.

"Castle?"

"The letter to _me_ wasn't the only one in the envelope," he told her, his eyes never leaving hers.

Her gaze dropped to the envelope in his hand and then back to his eyes.

"What?"

"There were two more. One for his wife… and one addressed to you."

It was her turn to hesitate. He was holding the letter out to her, but she wasn't reaching for it. She'd already had such an emotional day – an emotional week, even – she just wasn't sure she was ready for more.

"What does it say?" she asked.

He shook his head, his eyes bleak and tired – but it had been a long night for him as well, and now he was a little concerned for her. Maybe he should have waited until another time to give it to her.

"I didn't open it."

Considering he was a writer and one of the most curious people she'd ever met, she was surprised.

"Really? Why not?"

"Because snooping where I don't belong has hurt you enough already," he told her, unable to keep his voice as level as he'd have liked. "It thought just once I should leave well enough alone…"

She stared at him for a long moment, realizing what he was talking about. The hurt in his eyes just then had nothing to do with Montgomery, or his wound. It was all about her own pain and the fact that he thought he was the reason for it. She reached her hand out to comfort him, but he put the envelope in it, instead, unwilling to take something he didn't feel he deserved just then.

She took the envelope, but she didn't look at it.

"Rick… I-"

"You should probably read it." he interrupted. "It might be important…"

Beckett nodded, and still feeling that ache of dread, she opened the envelope and extracted the letter inside. It wasn't any longer than the one that had been addressed to Castle, but instead of discussing the wrongs he'd done and what was coming, the only words Montgomery had had for his final letter to her had been ones of hope, pride, and love and admiration. No recriminations and no reminders of what he'd done to himself and to her.

She read it through more than once, and once again felt the sting of tears in her eyes. This time for all the things she never had a chance to tell him. She felt Castle take her hand, and with a sob she leaned against him and buried her face in his shoulder and cried.


	17. Chapter 17

Castle held her while she cried herself out, and then continued to hold her, stroking her hair and back and murmuring gentle words of encouragement into her ear as she caught her breath and managed to restore some of her equilibrium. Only then did she pull away with a final sniff, wiping her eyes and trying for a smile that was slightly forced but was a good attempt.

"Better?" he asked her, softly, with no mockery in his voice or expression.

She nodded, reaching for a napkin from his table to use as a tissue.

"I must look awful."

"You look beautiful."

She blushed, but as red as her face was from crying, he wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't been watching her so intently.

"Thanks." She hesitated, and rested her hand in his. "For _everything_."

He didn't give her the cocky grin that she half expected from him. Instead, he looked away, staring down at the hand he was holding, and she knew that he was still blaming himself for everything that had happened – and decided it was time to take care of that while she had him alone and stuck in bed. He just had to give her the opening. Which he did a moment later.

"It's the least I can do for all the pain I've caused…"

Beckett got out of the chair she'd been sitting in and settled herself on the edge of his bed, more on the same eye level as he was, and definitely in a position where he would be forced to look at her. It was a common tactic for interrogation, and it was something that was almost automatic for her. She tightened her grip on his hand, deciding as she did so that he looked as tired as she felt – which made it so easy to fall into depression, she knew.

"Do you know what the greatest pain in my life has been…?" she asked him.

He knew. There had never been any hiding it from him. Right from the start.

"Your mom's death."

"My mom's _murder_," she corrected. "I knew someone had killed her, and that they had gotten away with it, and that hurt _so_ much. More than you'll know. There was no closure. No matter how hard I worked at becoming a cop, no matter how many bad guys I put away, I knew that there was one I'd never be able to touch. The person who was responsible for her being killed. And then you came along and started digging into it…"

"And you hated me for it."

"You opened an old wound," she acknowledged. "And I had almost forgotten just how badly it hurt. But I realized something," she told him, her eyes locked on his, not allowing him to look away. "You were right to do it. The pain I have right now; Captain Montgomery's death, finding out he had something to do with my mom – even though it wasn't directly – breaking up with Josh… even the guilt of having you get shot for me… none of that hurts as bad as not knowing who killed my mom. Eventually I'll forget the pain of losing Montgomery and hopefully just remember the goods things, and now I can do that with my mom, too. That's worth everything to me… and you started it. Even when I told you not to, you were braver than I was. For that, and that alone, I owe you so much."

"You don't owe me, Kate," he told her, instantly. "I…" he trailed off, uncertain, and then realized what all she had said. "You broke up with Josh?"

She shrugged.

"Yeah. Well, _he_ more or less broke up with _me_, not the other way around…"

"What? Why? Is he _nuts_?"

That earned him a smile. His tone was so indignant at the thought of someone breaking up with her.

"He said he couldn't compete," she told him, honestly, figuring he'd probably hear the whole story eventually and not wanting to lie about it, even though she knew it would make him feel guilty all over again.

"Compete?"

"With someone willing to take a bullet for me…"

Now he looked stricken, just like she'd known he would.

"I didn't mean for-"

"It's okay," she told him, immediately, and truthfully. "And it's _not_ your fault. He made the decision and I can live with it."

"Really?"

She smiled.

"Yeah. _Besides_, I've got my eye on another guy, now…"

Her hand tightened on his and at the same time she made sure to meet his gaze, so he'd know that she meant him. She could see when he caught on by the way his eyes lit up and it made her feel warm inside to know that she'd caused it.

"Is he good looking?"

She shrugged, more than willing to tease.

"He's not ugly."

"Well, that's a good start."

"Yup."

"Honest?"

"Yeah."

"Kind?"

"I think so."

"Good in bed?"

She snickered; his expression had turned impish just as he'd asked, and it had warned her that something was coming that he thought was amusing. It was amazing to her how well she could read him, sometimes.

"So far, all he's done is just _lay_ there…" she answered. "So I couldn't tell you. The most important thing, though, is something I _already_ know."

"Oh? What's that?"

"He loves me."

His eyes softened.

"How do you know?"

"You told me."

"I _did_?" he frowned, his eyes growing distant as he tried to remember doing anything of the sort, and she knew he wouldn't remember it. He'd been lying in a pool of his own blood at the time, after all, and she knew he didn't remember any of that, either.

She nodded, and leaned over and kissed him, softly.

"Trust me. You did. Twice."

He smiled.

"I do, you know…"

"Yeah. I know. And I love you, too."

She leaned against him again, and this time when he put his arms around her and held her there weren't any tears. Just the two of them. Together.


	18. Chapter 18

_Author's note: Okay, like I said earlier, I'm not solving the case, so my version is about done. Here is the epilogue, though, so there is a little closure. I hope you all liked it (and I really hope the summer goes fast so I can see what really happens) Oh, how I love to write Castle fanfiction!_

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

**Epilogue**

"_Home at last!"_

Alexis' smile was as broad and expansive as her gesture when she opened the door for her father, but it only made Castle smile. He was feeling relieved that he would finally be able to do whatever he wanted to instead of being on a hospital schedule. Even better, he was able to walk with a lot less pain than he had been two and a half weeks earlier.

"Finally," he agreed. He had a hand on Esposito's shoulder, using him as a crutch and leaning on him, but _only_ a little. The detective had been the one to pick up Martha and Alexis and bring them to the hospital to get him. He'd expected Beckett, but had been told her and Ryan were on a special assignment just then and weren't available to get him. From the way Alexis had been giggling and beaming, Castle expected that there was something clandestine going on, and sure enough a moment later when he walked into the apartment a large crowd of people suddenly appeared out of nowhere and shouted '_surprise_!' at him.

He grinned as his friends surrounded him, welcoming him home with careful slaps on the back and hugs and then they ushered him into his living room and onto the couch where a stack of cushions and pillows were waiting to keep him from sitting at too awkward an angle. Most of them were the cops from the 12th precinct, Castle saw, and that was fine with him. After the month they'd all had, it was a good way for them to have a chance to relax, and he hoped that his mother had made sure to get the good stuff from the bar for the party.

"Were you surprised?" Alexis asked, bringing him a glass of punch. He was still taking medications and wasn't allowed alcohol and Alexis knew it. He took the glass, though, and nodded.

"Definitely."

She beamed, and kissed him.

"Do you want some cake?"

"Is there ice cream?"

"It's ice cream cake."

"Then yes."

She left him, and Beckett came over and sat down beside him, watching as Martha flitted from guest to guest, making sure that everyone had whatever they needed as far as refreshments.

"Did _you_ do this?" he asked her, reaching for her hand.

"It was _Alexis'_ idea. Ryan and I were assigned to decorate."

Which explained why she hadn't been the one to pick him up. Just as he'd expected. _Clandestine_.

"It's sweet."

"But you weren't surprised…"

He shook his head, looking around for Alexis before leaning over and whispering in her ear.

"Not really."

She smiled.

"As long as you _pretended_ to be."

"I've had plenty of practice," he assured her.

"Are you _sure_ you feel okay?" she asked him, her eyes dark with concern. Despite the excellent care he'd received, Castle had developed an infection at the hospital, which had resulted in a dangerously high fever. Only for a day or so before the antibiotics knocked it back, but it was enough to scare Beckett.

"I'm fine. _Really_."

"And you'd tell me if you weren't?"

"Sure."

She knew he wasn't being completely honest, but she also knew that the hospital wouldn't have released him if they thought there was a danger of anything going wrong. Before she could say anything, though, Alexis returned with his cake – _and_ with Ashley, who handed a paper plate filled with cake over to Beckett with a shy smile.

"Thank you, Daughter."

She dimpled a smile at him.

"You're welcome, Father. Grams asked me to tell you that the Mayor just arrived."

"Great."

"And can I go to the mall with Ashley?"

He raised an eyebrow at that, and then affected a tragic, hurt, expression.

"You want to _abandon_ me?"

She rolled her eyes.

"There are plenty of people here to keep you company." And she and Ashley were the only two under the age of 18, he knew. Which made for pretty dull conversation. "Or we could go to my _room_…" she added, slyly.

"The mall is fine," he replied, instantly, and Beckett wasn't the only one to smile. "Be back at a reasonable time."

"We will."

Ashley nodded his agreement, and the two escaped just as the Mayor came into the living room and stopped to talk to Esposito and Lanie.

"_He_ looks tired," Beckett noted.

"Yeah. He's been busy."

The news had broken about the same time Castle was getting his infection, so he'd missed the initial hubbub once the files Montgomery had sent to him had been received by the various news agencies, but from what he'd been told, it had been chaotic. And while his friend hadn't been implicated, a few NY officials had been, and it had fallen on the Mayor, several judges and a few ranking police officers to take care of things so there would be no whispers of a cover up later on. Of course, New York wasn't the only city affected; DC had taken a hit, as had Chicago and a few others – and the majority of those who were now being served indictments were federal officials – so there were many people who weren't getting all the sleep they needed at night.

"I'm going to leave you alone with him," Beckett said, picking up her cake and getting up. "I need to talk to Esposito."

She greeted the Mayor as she walked by and headed over to where Esposito and Lanie were standing – without the mayor now – and had been joined by Ryan.

"Did you tell Castle?" Esposito asked her as she walked up.

She shook her head.

"Not yet."

"Tell him what?" Lanie asked, curiously, looking over to where Castle was now talking with the mayor, who had taken Kate's spot on the couch.

"They got the guy that shot him."

"Oh?"

Kate nodded.

"Jordan's feds backtracked the information we had on the Yukon and it led right to him."

"He used his _own car_ to go to an assassination?" Lanie wasn't a detective, but even she knew that was incredibly stupid.

Esposito grinned.

"Not a real genius – and not a _pro_ by any means."

"If he _had_ been he'd never have tipped Castle off however he did," Ryan added. He didn't mention the result of that possibility. He didn't need to.

"Of course, he _might_ have missed…" Esposito said – although they all knew better.

Lanie didn't even want to think about that. She changed the subject.

"They managed to match the ballistics?"

"They will," Beckett assured her. "Jordan's going to make sure it's done right. Since _I'm_ the target, I can't do the investigation part."

"To much temptation that she might hedge things to make sure she gets a conviction."

"They want to make sure he doesn't get off on a technicality," Kate said. A movement caught her eye and she turned and saw that the mayor had finished talking to Castle and had been accosted by Martha, who was leading him to the table with the refreshments. Castle looked over at her and they exchanged a smile that wasn't missed by any of the others. _They_ all exchanged grins as she absently excused herself and went back over to join the writer on the couch, taking her cake with her.

"It's about time," Lanie murmured, reaching for Esposito's hand absently. "They're so cute together."

The guys both rolled their eyes, even though they happened to agree completely. Esposito looked over at the couch and even from the distance he could see that there was something more carefree about Beckett. He watched, trying to figure out what it was, and decided that she looked happy for the first time since he'd met her. He smiled, and squeezed Lanie's hand before putting his other arm around his partner's shoulder.

"Come on guys," he said. "Let's get some cake before the mayor eats it all."

_**END**_


End file.
